


Day 12: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

by Hapkido9061



Series: 25 Cliché Days of Christmas [12]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Awkward first encounters, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Hot Chocolate, M/M, Mentions of Luhan, Mentions of Yixing, TaoRis - Freeform, That's a tag now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-17 03:27:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16966812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hapkido9061/pseuds/Hapkido9061
Summary: “You’re alone for Christmas, right? Come over tomorrow then! We can celebrate together!” Zitao said with a cheerful tone.All he got in response was a low grunt.Or...Where Zitao can't go home for the holidays because of a blizzard so he invites his grumpy loner neighbor over instead.





	Day 12: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

**Author's Note:**

> Taoris may be dead and never happening in real life, but that doesn't mean we can't dream folks!

“No, no mom, it’s fine. You don’t have to come,” Zitao sighed. His hand came up to play with the piercings in his ear- a nervous habit he’s had since he was young. “If the weather’s so bad that they aren’t letting any flights out from Seoul, they won’t let any in either…. I know, I know. I want to be with you guys too. I miss you too…. Love you, bye.”

Zitao hung up on the phone, staring at the black screen. His thumb hovered over the ‘call back’ button. In the end, he only sighed and closed his eyes with a frown.

The weather reports on the TV still played in the background. The blizzard had hit early this morning, cancelling all flights to and from the airport. And that included Zitao’s out to China. The snow wasn’t going anywhere either; the news forecasted that the blizzard would continue for at least two more days. As much as Zitao wanted to cry that over the fact that he wouldn’t get to see his family this Christmas, he knew that would do no good to the situation.

It was only two days before Christmas. Zitao knew he could always call up Yixing or Luhan to hang out if they weren’t busy with their own families They would gladly let him hang out. Just as he was going to call, he remembered that both of them took early flights out to their own homes in China. And while Sehun would be Zitao’s next choice to hang out with, the boy also went to China to spend the holidays with Luhan’s family.

Sure, Zitao knew he had other people he could call in their enormous friend group, but he wasn’t sure if they would enjoy him crashing their holiday. It was supposed to be a time for family and loved ones, after all. He only thought of Yixing and Luhan because their families were also in China, but they were the smart ones who left early.

Zitao thought briefly about calling Jongdae and Minseok, the next two he was closest with. But they were sure to be doing some couple thing- Zitao was not about to get in between that. And the rest he didn’t want to bother even a little bit. It would just bring unwanted pity.

With no other option, Zitao tossed his phone onto the counter. He didn’t necessarily want to look at it, not even to turn on Christmas music to listen to. His spirit was a little discouraged. But Zitao knew all he needed was just a little bit of hot chocolate to make it better. After digging through his cupboard door, he found the box of hot cocoa mix behind the roasted coffee beans and chamomile tea.

As he was heating the milk on the stove, Zitao heard the slam of a door from across the hallway and a string of curses. Zitao cocked an eyebrow as an idea came to his mind. It probably was the worst, craziest, most insane idea he’s ever had. But, this idea meant he wouldn’t have to spend the holidays alone. He turned down the heat so the milk wouldn’t boil.

Zitao hurried to open his own door, catching sight of his neighbor’s back as he was leaving. Just as he was to turn the corner down the stairs, Zitao called out to catch his attention. “Yo, Kris!”

Said man turned back with an unimpressed look. “What?”

“You’re alone for Christmas, right?” Kris shrugged, readjusting the heavy bag slung over his shoulders. He looked so stuffy in his work clothes, but then again, his stoic face did match the suit. “Come over tomorrow then! We can celebrate together!” Zitao said with a cheerful tone.

All he got in response was a low grunt before Kris turned around and continued down the stairs. Zitao sighed, a bit disappointed but not surprised. It seemed like it may work out at the time in his mind, but based on Kris’s unenthusiastic reaction, it probably wasn’t going to happen. He always forgot just how much of a grumpy loner Kris was. They had lived across from each other for years, but the older man still rarely talked to anyone, even him.

Zitao went back into his apartment and over to the stove. He swirled the milk, checking to make sure it didn’t burn. While dumping in the chocolate powder, he couldn’t help but to start to dread the next few days. He hated being lonely. It wasn’t a crushing feeling, but always there in the background. Simmering and washing over him at the times when he could let his mind drift. Zitao loved being with friends, with the people he cared about, but it just wasn’t going to happen this year.

He threw in a candy cane to the mug and sipped his hot chocolate. Zitao pretended that the Hallmark movie playing on the TV was worth his attention.

. . .

Christmas Eve day came and went. Zitao spent it cooped up in his apartment by himself. Most of the day went by okay; he spent it by drawing some last minute designs for new tattoos that he’d let sit for too long. A few new clients had come by during their winter break off from college and were wanting obscure designs. It gave Zitao something to do, but one could only spend so much time trying to design a fish in a lamp with seven eyes. Why they wanted that, he had no clue. Zitao usually didn’t question his clients.

Zitao checked the time on his phone. It was past eight in the evening already. He should probably stop working before he burned himself out for the rest of break by doing too much in one night. Zitao put down his pencil and paper in exchange for a novel he had started recently. The silence filled the air in a warm embrace; he hardly noticed once the plot had sucked him back in. His fingers went up to play at the numerous piercings lining his ears.

The heavy knock at his door had Zitao jumping in his place. He couldn’t think of who would be here at this time, and on Christmas Eve nonetheless. Zitao dog-eared the page he was on. But when he finally opened the door and found the hard face of Kris, Zitao remembered that he invited him over. Honestly, Zitao wasn’t expecting him to come whatsoever.

“Hey.”

“Um… hi?” A beat of silence passed. Want to come in I guess?” Zitao asked as he awkwardly shuffled back a few steps. Kris nodded and let himself in. He wasn’t wearing the normal suit and tie that Zitao recognized to be his work outfit. Rather, he was in a pair of fitted tracksuit pants with a baggy t shirt. It was strange seeing him in anything but thousand dollar Armani suits, but for some reason, Zitao thought he could certainly pull off the teenage boy style clothes. Zitao looked down at his outfit and found it not that much fancier.

Kris walked in, toeing his shoes off at the front mat. “Do you want coffee or tea or something? Hot chocolate?”

“Coffee’d be fine.”

Zitao busied himself by finding the coffee and heating the water. Now that Kris was actually in his apartment, he had no clue what to do. All Zitao knew for sure now was that he was way more attractive in person and up close.

As he made the coffee, Zitao pretended not to notice the way Kris examined the few decorations he had up. They were back in the kitchen, but Zitao still tried to put stuff on his walls to make it feel homier. Notes were stuck to the entire front of his fridge to give him reminders throughout the week.

“You’re from Qingdao?”

Zitao peered over his shoulder to where Kris was standing in front of his fridge. The plane tickets that he had hung up were from last time he visited his parents. Zitao nodded, before realizing that most everything in his house was written in Chinese, even while they lived in Seoul. “You speak Chinese?”

“I _am_ Chinese.”

“But... your name? And you don’t have the normal accent?” Zitao pondered aloud. He had always thought that his neighbor had a strange speech pattern or something similar, never a Chinese accent. And honestly, he just said strange things. Zitao thought it all came in one big package along with the cold personality.

“I was born in China, moved to Canada, and then moved here some years ago,” Kris said, switching form Korean to Chinese. The language sounded so much nicer to Zitao’s ears. He didn’t have to concentrate on what Kris was saying with his full attention like he did with Korean. “And my name’s Yifan.”

“Yifan…” Zitao said under his breath. The name rolled off his tongue. “Why do you go by Kris then?”

Yifan shrugged. “I got it in Canada.”

He didn’t offer up more of an explanation and Zitao didn’t press for one. He finished making the coffee and poured two cups full and passed one over to Yifan. He took it with a small smile. Zitao noticed the hesitance in his step, unsure of where to sit down in his apartment. The younger waved a hand and led them into the living room.

“So what’s your job?”

“I’m a marketing chairman.” That would explain the outfit then.

“Oh that’s so fancy! I’m just a tattoo artist, but I do piercings a lot too!”

“Your own?”

“Yup! This one here was my first that I did,” Zitao said as he pointed to his helix, “but the lobe piercings I got in high school. I ended up working at the place where I got it. Then the owner moved here to Seoul and asked me to follow. I’ve got my own place with some friends now. When did you move here?”

“Couple years ago.”

“How come?”

“I got a job after college. They needed someone who spoke Korean, so here I am.”

Zitao continued the conversation, receiving only single to few word responses. But just from talking to Yifan, he could tell that it wasn’t rude, and that he wasn’t as grumpy as originally thought. Really, Yifan was just awkward as hell around people. He was listening to everything Zitao had to say without telling him it was annoying or he was being too talkative.

And it was nice to talk to someone in his native tongue again. With his friends, it was almost exclusively Korean because they hung out in groups and most of his friends couldn’t keep up with the fast-spoken Chinese. Sure, he talked one on one with Luhan and Yixing a lot in Chinese, but there was something about being allowed to use it with a (somewhat) stranger.

Zitao felt more at home.

It was different with Yifan. And Zitao could feel himself growing a little warm inside, as he now went on to talk about his favorite movies without being told to shut up or to stop rambling, a little glad that his parents’ flight was cancelled. Maybe he wouldn’t get to have Christmas with them, but he certainly would with Yifan. From what Yifan had said, he would’ve spent the holidays alone too.

(Zitao wouldn’t include this detail when he was retelling the story on Yifan to Luhan, but maybe Yifan spent the night. And maybe Zitao was the one that invited him to.)


End file.
